Here's the first official trailer for Reinaldo Marcus Green's Monsters and Men, direct from YouTube:
When young father Manny (Anthony Ramos) witnesses the police shooting of an unarmed black man, the tight-knit community of Bed-Stuy is pushed to the brink in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Sundance Award-winning portrait of race, family and consequence.Monsters and Men is both written and directed by newcomer filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green, a native of New York City who is 1/2 Puerto Rican and 1/2 African American, making his feature directorial debut after directing & producing a number of short films previously. This first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year in competition, where it won a Special Jury Award for Outstanding First Feature. Neon will release Green's Monsters and Men in select theaters later this fall - an exact release date is still not set. Stay tuned for more updates. First impression?
"Titans - you don't actually do anything heroic." Warner Bros has released the full-length official trailer for the big screen, feature version of the "Teen Titans" animated superhero series, titled Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, hitting theaters this July. The movie is a meta-movie, about the Teen Titans being in a movie, with references galore and extra bonus features like musical numbers and big bad villains. The voice cast includes Will Arnett and Kristen Bell, plus Greg Cipes as Beast Boy, Scott Menville as Robin, Khary Payton as Cyborg, Tara Strong as Raven, and Hynden Walch as Starfire, reprising their roles from the series. And is that Nicolas Cage as Superman I hear? I think it is, another perfect reference to the movie-that-never-happened with Cage as Superman. This actually looks super duper entertaining! I want to see it.
Here's the full-length trailer (+ poster) for WAG's Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, from WB's YouTube:
You can still watch the first teaser trailer for WAG's Teen Titans Go! To The Movieshere, for more footage.
When the Teen Titans go to the big screen, they go big! It seems to the Teens that all the major superheroes out there are starring in their own movies—everyone but the Teen Titans, that is! But de facto leader Robin is determined to remedy the situation, and be seen as a star instead of a sidekick. If only they could get the hottest Hollywood film director to notice them. With a few madcap ideas and a song in their heart, the Teen Titans head to Tinsel Town, certain to pull off their dream. But when the group is radically misdirected by a seriously Super-Villain and his maniacal plan to take over the Earth, things really go awry. The team finds their friendship and their fighting spirit failing, putting the very fate of the Teen Titans themselves on the line!Teen Titans Go! To The Movies is directed by filmmakers Aaron Horvath & Peter Rida Michail (both of the "Teen Titans Go!" series). The screenplay is by Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic. Warner Bros will release the movie in theaters everywhere starting July 27th, 2018 this summer.
Love it or hate it, the auteur certainly has a signature style.
“I have a way of filming things and staging them and designing sets,” Wes Andersononce told NPR. “It’s sort of like my handwriting as a movie director. And somewhere along the way, I think I’ve made the decision: I’m going to write in my own handwriting.”
Anderson’s directorial penmanship is certainly distinctive. Over the course of more than 20 years, the beloved auteur has crafted and honed a style all his own. Anderson’s films share a unique visual, thematic, and rhythmic continuity, resulting in a cohesive and unmistakable body of work. With some help from WatchMojo’s video essay, “Top 5 Signs You’re Watching A Wes Anderson Movie,” let’s break down just what it is that makes a Wes Anderson film a Wes Anderson film:
1. Symmetrical framing
Anderson’s proclivity for centered shots is his most identifiable visual quirk. Parodied by everyone from SNLto Family Guy, perfectly symmetrical framing isn’t only a testament to Anderson’s directorial precision, but also a technique that creates a cinematic world removed from reality, turning establishing shots into stylized portraits and dialogue sequences into stunning set pieces.
2. Judicious violence
Most Wes Anderson movies are categorically charming, but that doesn’t mean they don’t brush up against the more violent aspects of human nature. Violence often lurks beneath his films’ pastel exteriors, but it is never presented to shock or disturb; rather, violence is a narrative and visual tool that raises the stakes, humanizes characters, can add a little physical comedy.
3. Captivating convolution
Anderson’s plots are often deceptively complex and fast-paced, despite their storybook presentation. But instead of confusing or frustrating you, these multi-layered stories rope us in further, develop characters, and allow for some of Anderson’s signature zaniness to radiate through the plot.
4. Lots of nostalgia
Most Wes Anderson movies take place in an affectionate version of the past. The retro lens through which they are filtered enables a simplicity that feels simultaneously familiar and otherworldly. They often inhabit the fondness of recollection, the warmth of distant memories, or the whimsy of childhood, making them perfectly nostalgic and escapist.
5. Oddball characters in quirky locales
As a writer, Anderson has a penchant for idiosyncrasy. Whether it be his characters, stories, or settings, you count on any Anderson-penned movie to be perfectly quirky. His worlds, filled with weirdos living amidst beautiful backdrops, are unfamiliar enough that we long for them and recognizable enough that we relate.
For a deeper exploration of the signatures of Anderson’s impressive oeuvre, check out the video essay below:
"The only chance you've got - is both of you." Marvel has released a new official trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp, following the record breaking opening weekend of Avengers: Infinity War, in which Ant-Man did not make an appearance. Paul Rudd returns (and is credited on the screenplay) as Scott Lang, dealing with the consequences of what happened in the first movie. Evangeline Lilly plays The Wasp, who finally gets her own super-powered shrinking suit with wings and blasters. The cast includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Michael Peña, Judy Greer, Laurence Fishburne, David Dastmalchian, Randall Park, with Michael Douglas. This actually looks amazingly good, going to be so much fun. Seems like they might actually top the first one. The big ant playing the drums totally got me.
Here's the second trailer (+ new poster) for Peyton Reed's Ant-Man and the Wasp, direct from YouTube:
You can still watch the first trailer for Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasphere, to see more footage from this.
In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to re-balance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he's confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.Ant-Man and the Wasp is once again directed by filmmaker Peyton Reed, of the films Bring It On, Down with Love, The Break-Up, Yes Man, and the first Ant-Man. The screenplay is by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, and Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari, and Paul Rudd. Disney will release Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp in theaters everywhere starting on July 6th this summer. Your thoughts?
Do we still care about the heroes that skipped out on ‘Infinity War’?
Now that Avengers: Infinity War has unleashed a wave of devastation and sadness across the MCU, leaving audiences drifting through their daily lives in a haze of WTF, Marvel Studios tells us that only one question matters: where were Ant-Man and the Wasp? Just as Thor and Hulk skipped out on Civil War, Ant-Man and the Wasp (and Hawkeye) thought it best to lay low. Can’t really blame them.
Peyton Reed returns to direct this much-needed palate cleanser. We ache for the joy to return to the battlefield. This is not the simple task of following-up the dreary Age of Ultron. We call upon Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily to show us that hope still exists for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. We need plots and schemes. We need Luis and his crew. We need a fresh reminder as to why we care about these spandex crusaders in the first place.
However, there is a second question. Will the audience show up for a film that doesn’t pick up immediately after that Infinity War cliffhanger? We all just want to know what happens next, and detailing the adventures of before doesn’t hold as much interest as it once did.
The first Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer was a solid refresher on the characters with barely a glimpse at the plot driving the sequel. This new trailer attempts to maintain their relevance in the MCU moving forward. It also offers up some necessary mythology building as well.
"We had, like, a real connection." Netflix has debuted a trailer for a comedy titled Ibiza, originally known as I'm in Love with the DJ while filming. This unfortunately looks absolutely awful, as cheesy and cliche as it gets. The super-obvious, we've-seen-this-100-times story involves an overworked woman who takes a trip to Barcelona, but then decides to chase a "hot DJ" to Ibiza for one of the best adventures of her life. She's joined by two of her friends, and stupid stuff happens, of course. Because it always does in comedies like this. Gillian Jacobs stars, with Vanessa Bayer, Phoebe Robinson, and Richard Madden. Have fun.
Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Alex Richanbach's Ibiza, direct from YouTube:
When Harper's two best friends tag along on her work trip to Barcelona, they ditch work and fly to Ibiza for Harper, who against her better judgement, falls for a hot DJ.Ibiza, originally titled I'm in Love with the DJ, is directed by filmmaker Alex Richanbach, a veteran producer of short films and director of the indie film We Are Young previously. The screenplay is written by Lauryn Kahn. It's also produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The film has not premiered at any film festivals. Netflix will release Richanbach's Ibiza streaming exclusively starting May 25th this summer. Anyone really want to watch this? Thoughts?
Jordan continues to demonstrate a keen eye for great stories and solid collaborations.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe had very ineffective villains before Michael B. Jordan came along. In Black Panther, he portrays Killmonger, who in many ways ticks all the boxes of a requisite antagonist. Most importantly, the character doesn’t dissolve into the background the moment the movie ends. People left the theater at an ideological crossroads, asking whose standpoint do they align with, that of Killmonger or the protagonist, T’Challa. Such depth is so rare in your typical blockbuster, and it frankly cut deep.
Jordan plays a crucial role in depicting these crises of personal identity. But Black Panther writer Joe Robert Cole (also of The People v. O. J. Simpson fame) definitely had a hand in crafting Killmonger’s nuances too. Now, Deadline has announced that Jordan and Cole are teaming up yet again for an adaptation of the indie comic “Failsafe,” for which Netflix has won the rights. Jordan will produce the project while Cole is writing the script.
A relatively small title that was only first published in April last year, “Failsafe” is written by F.J. DeSanto and Todd Farmer and follows protagonist John Ravane, a legendary hunter caught up in a mess of allegiances. He lives in a world where “nanotech-enhanced super soldiers” exist thanks to the “haywire” Insurgence Program. Despite believing he has killed every last one of these insurgents and put an end to the program, Ravane is drawn back into the fold a decade later when he realizes that sleeper agents across America are activating and attempting to take over New York.
There’s no confirmation for whether Failsafe will be a series or a film, and as of now Jordan is not attached to the project beyond his producing capacity. However, Deadline notes that should Jordan decide to star in Failsafe upon reading the script, he has first dibs. Jordan has been in his fair share of comic book adaptations (including Fantastic Four), but I wouldn’t be opposed to him taking up lead duties in Failsafe considering that the comic’s protagonist sounds perfect for him. It’s just the right amount of moral grayness that it would fit in nicely with the rest of his most memorable roles.
Jordan’s ever-growing filmography has often carried the weight of unconventional characters that we happen to root for. From The Wire to Friday Night Lights, Fruitvale Station to Black Panther, Jordan challenges audiences with his work. His performances and the stories he champions as a whole are confronting. Indeed, some of them can feel rather dark and hopeless. Regardless, they certainly make for the most significant (or scarring?) of viewing experiences. If he is to play Ravane, the character should have that same ability to turn the tables on audience expectations.
For now, Failsafe proves that another facet of Jordan’s career is continuing to flourish: he really is picking the best projects as a producer. This won’t be Jordan’s first collaboration with Netflix, as he has another superhero adaptation in the works there centered on a single mom who finds out that her young child has developed inexplicable powers. He is also working on his directorial debut, a coming-of-age story about a boy learning to cope with his brother’s death in a gang-related shooting. Jordan is also on his way to changing the way we view World War II movies by bringing the 761st Tank Battalion to the big screen.
All of these projects are being developed via Jordan’s production company, Outlier, and they stand apart from one another by covering completely different genres and narrative concerns. The best part is that he hasn’t landed on the wrong foot with any of them. None of Jordan’s projects are even out yet but all of them already sound like hits in the making, which makes a Failsafe adaptation extremely promising.
The director of ‘Tully’ and ‘Juno’ shares advice on breaking into the industry.
Even with a legendary filmmaker for a father, Jason Reitman isn’t too concerned with following in anyone’s footsteps. He’s crafted his own path with his own achievements. Working his way up in the industry by directing commercials and short films and entering film festival competitions, he’s become a successful indie filmmaker, having made the cult classics Thank You for Smoking and Juno, which earned him a Best Director nomination at the Academy Awards. Up in the Air brought him a second nomination for Best Director, along with a Best Picture nod.
Between spending time on sets as a kid with his father and picking up advice from him, and more so successfully leading his own filmmaking career, Reitman’s got some practical tips to share whether you want to break into the indie scene or the industry at large. We’ve collected some of his advice from over the years below.
Find Truth
First and foremost, a director’s job is to find a way to honestly and realistically bring a story to life, especially with comedies. Reitman told DP/30 in 2011:
“My feeling has always been this: it’s the writer’s job to be funny. If the screenplay’s funny, that’s really all that needs to be funny. At that point, it’s the actors and the director’s job to find truth. To make it honest, to make it real, to tell the story well. And then it will be funny.”
Continue the interview here:
Get the Mistakes Out
With today’s technology, it’s easier than ever for a student filmmaker to hone his or her craft. Reitman advised that young directors take advantage of this and use it as an opportunity to get out there and try and fail some. He told the Orlando Sentinel in 2009:
“We’re in the midst of a digital revolution that allows you to shoot, edit, and distribute your films for virtually nothing. You have the possibility of creating a YouTube sensation…When I talk to student filmmakers, I tell them, ‘Read as much as possible. Write as much as possible. Go read (director) Robert Rodriguez’s book ‘Rebel Without a Crew.’ Get the mistakes out. Write bad. Direct bad. Learn how to tell stories as you do. Find that short film that says exactly who you are and the stories you want to tell. Make it and submit it to the festival process and realize that you may be great, you may be terrible. You won’t find out until you try to get other people to judge your work.’”
Keep Working
In an interview with Tested in 2015, Reitman mentions a piece of advice from his father (“just keep making movies”) and uses it to reflect on his own career. He suggests filmmakers work past their self-doubt as an artist by looking toward their overall goal:
“You’re judged so quickly by whatever your last work is. It’s a tricky beat, but if you can somehow get back to why you make movies in the first place. And look historically at filmmakers, look at some of your favorite filmmakers, you can look at the films that bookend their greatest success. You know, Billy Wilder made ‘One, Two, Three,’ it was either immediately before or after ‘The Apartment.’ You watch those two films back to back and go ‘God, these tones could not be anymore different,’ and ‘The Apartment’ is simply a masterpiece on every level. And ‘One, Two, Three,’ I’m not a fan. It’s just eh. It just shows that artists have moments and you just have to keep working.”
Presume You’re Ready
In an episode of the Austin Film Festival’s On Story in 2016, Reitman stresses the importance of self-confidence, especially for newer filmmakers who may find themselves taking on more than they can handle. He says:
“I think to be a filmmaker, you have to have the ego and the presumption that you are ready to make a film even when you’re not ready. Because the truth is, I wasn’t ready. It was around that time that I wrote ‘Thank You for Smoking.’ I wrote it really young. But no one wanted to make it. And I spent five more years directing short films, making commercials, some horrible commercials, and becoming a better filmmaker. And thank God. If I had gotten the opportunity to direct ‘Thank You for Smoking’ when I wrote it, it wouldn’t have been as good a film. I had so much to learn.”
Continue watching the episode here:
Connect with Other Filmmakers
From his time in film school to his years attending and participating in film festivals, Reitman has met many other talented filmmakers whom he’s worked with on a number of projects. In an interview with Collider in 2014 to promote Men, Women & Children, he mentioned the value of having these relationships and suggested young filmmakers create a community of others to make films with:
“I don’t think you need to do anything. But I think film school is very valuable. If I could do it over again, I would probably have gone to the University of Texas and gone to film school there, and had a really nice balance of learning about film and also just going to school in Austin, Texas, and having a great time. But going to film school certainly helps. Look, you’re going to learn some shit about equipment, but more importantly, you’re going to meet some people who you’re hopefully going to know for a long time. What I consider important is the time I spent at film festivals. I spent 6-7 years going to film festivals, with films, without films. Being amongst a community of independent filmmakers, and young short film filmmakers, whom I know to this day. Some are my best friends, some are people I work with. The guys who did my opening titles on all my movies and did all the digital work on this film including designing the voyager sequence and all the graphic stuff that comes on screen. They had a short film at the same time as mine, and I’ve known them since then. So, I think it’s about community. Who is your filmmaking community? Who are you excited to make films with? And those are the people you’re going to meet in film school despite what you may not learn.”
Enter Film Festival Competitions
One of the best ways not only to break into the industry but to get valuable feedback on your work is to take part in film festival competitions. Reitman advised in an interview with Time magazine in 2010:
“Do what I did, which is to use the film festival system. Unlike any other art form, filmmakers have this unique web of festivals. In the US there’s hundreds alone, and it is a democratic system in which you submit films, and if they’re good enough, they play. If they’re very good, they could win an award where they get the attention of some agents and some studios.”
What We Learned
No matter who you are, becoming a successful and talented filmmaker doesn’t just happen overnight. While it’s easy for many to see Reitman’s name and attribute his success to having a famous father, it’s clear he’s really put in the work to successfully build his career from the bottom up and has made a lasting mark on the industry himself. Both film school and film festivals can be indispensable to those hoping to break in for a variety of reasons, but the key thing is to foster creative collaborations and have confidence in your work and yourself as an artist. Success isn’t only defined by box office numbers. Sometimes it’s the smaller, personal achievements that matter most.
This sounds like a match made in action movie heaven.
Ever read a movie announcement and just felt like it was tailor-made for your specific interests? That’s what this “new” John Woo film sounds like. Not only is the legendary director making a comeback in his old filmmaking style again, but he’s specifically remaking one of his best 1980s action films, The Killer, with an impeccable leading lady front and center: Lupita Nyong’o.
Deadline reports that Nyong’o is set to play a new version of the assassin originated by Chow Yun-fat in the 1989 film. The Killer remake has been in and out of production for several years under different creative teams. A Tristar film inspired by the original was pitched in the 1990s, and was to involve Denzel Washington and Richard Gere. Years later, in 2007, a remake was announced with John H. Lee (A Moment to Remember) slated to direct.
The current iteration of the remake of The Killer is being set up at Universal, and the project is being fast-tracked with Woo behind the camera. Scriptwriting duties were delegated to Eran Creevy (Collide) after an initial draft was penned by the team of Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken (10 Cloverfield Lane). Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) will add on to Creevy’s script too. The remake will be a re-imagination of the source material and is set to include elements of espionage.
The original film follows a hired killer who’s been in the triad business for a while. However, his final job sends his world into a tailspin when he accidentally partially blinds a bar singer during a shootout. His guilt over the incident compels him to aid her to get surgery to recover her sight, and the characters fall in love in the process. In a parallel plot, the killer has to also dodge a tenacious police officer who is hot on his heels –someone who looks to be his match in skill and determination.
The Killer impeccably blends the slickest action sequences with a surprisingly effective moralistic dilemma for its characters built on strong relationships, resulting in a taut and emotional journey. There’s a healthy dose of melodrama and existentialism, but that adds so much weight to the story that it’s not really a complaint. It’s pretty much a near-perfect action movie in my book.
Chow Yun-fat’s role in The Killer — as well as his involvement in other John Woo movies — made him a staple action star. Chow’s ability to embody both the supposedly cold-blooded killer and the flawed man with a healthy dose of inner demons is virtually unmatched in the film, but Nyong’o would totally be up for the task of interpreting that in the context of being a woman in the western world. The prospect of Nyong’o being crowned a bona fide action star after this remake is a real treat, especially now that action heroines are having a moment.
Getting to play an assassin with a conscience would be a great extension of Nyong’o’s role in Black Panther, which has shot her to further stardom after her Academy Award win for 12 Years a Slave a few years ago and her role as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequels. 12 Years a Slave and Star Wars just prove that she can act like hell in just about anything, whether it’s a live-action performance or something computer-generated. But in playing Nakia in Black Panther, Nyong’o got the opportunity to portray both the badassery and sensitivity, creating a wholly unique Marvel heroine that provided a lot of heart and hope.
Nyong’o’s as-yet-unnamed protagonist in The Killer would feasibly have similar motivations to Nakia, except perhaps with a less charitable outlook on the world. What I’m also keeping my eyes peeled for is who gets to play her romantic interest and direct adversary respectively. This is especially important with regards to the former role. Sally Yeh’s Jenny, the woman who unwittingly comes into the crosshairs of Chow’s assassin and the world of the triads, is far from the most empowered female character in the original Killer. Whoever plays her counterpart in the remake — and I’m gunning for a woman still to do it — could do with being more proactive.
The only minor concern regarding the existing team for The Killer remake would be Eran Creevy, whose work hasn’t been very well-received. His most recent directorial and writing effort, Collide, is more of a shell of an action film than anything too engaging. It has all the right archetypes of the genre, but sports characters that have no bite or personality to them.
However, perhaps the combined efforts of Creevy, Campbell, Stuecken, and Helgeland will result in a more well-rounded script that preserves the complex spirit of the original. Plus, there’s obviously Woo’s own directorial flair to bank on; a style that, more often than not, includes just the right emotional beats and some perfectly executed action sequences.
Nyong’o continues to own 2018 as The Killer remake is just one of a number of amazing projects coming up for her. She is also prepping The Woman King with Viola Davis, and a Trevor Noah biopic as part of a varied upcoming slate.
In taking a deep dive into Sirk’s contradictions, a picture emerged of somebody obviously drawn to “demonstrative” leftist theatre and the dramaturgical subversions of Greek tragedy as a way to survive in the Hollywood production model—as has been explicated and speculated upon at length by many overeager defenders. But also to working harmoniously with gaudy showmen like Albert Zugsmith and Ross Hunter, the latter of whom once pleaded with Sirk as they made Magnificent Obsession together, “Douglas, please, please make them cry.” In the same moment, in the act of watching one of his masterpieces or listening to him talk about their genesis, one experiences both the Sirk and the anti-Sirk pulling in two directions. In retrospect, his temperament appeared a natural fit with the commercial interests of Universal-International’s canniest producers, and it is this startling synergy, or irreconcilability, that continues to make Sirk movies so hypnotically idiosyncratic—and misunderstood.
